1. Too long, people. Too long.
2. We can’t say we loved it, but we also can’t say we didn’t like it. Reckon that means it falls somewhere in the middle. High expectations surely played a role.
3. One thing’s for sure – the Cheese Fry got a migraine watching it.
4. There’s probably no one better than writer-director James Cameron when it comes to ratcheting up the third-act tension and creating those suspenseful “oh crap!” moments in which it seems like there’s no possible way out for the characters. The last 20 minutes are the film’s best.
5. Some familiar Western archetypes here, cleverly transplanted to the science-fiction genre, whether it’s a hero-breaks-the-wild-bronco scene or the whole Native-American-genocide allegory (which is itself tied to the bullets-versus-longbows battle and the suggestion that superior technology does not always equal guaranteed victory).
6. You really do forget you’re watching giant blue aliens that live only in Weta’s computer servers. The whole movie is essentially one long visual effect. How can this not win a clutch of Oscars?
7. There’s some uncomfortable allusions to terrorism, but here the terrorists are the “good guy” humans. Creepiest moment involves ash falling gently after a 9/11-style surprise attack.
8. Much has been made about lead actor Sam Worthington. We’re not all that impressed, truth be told.
9. It’s by far one of the most imaginative and visually arresting science fiction films. Cameron and his team clearly spent a lot of time designing the indigenous plants and animals of planet Pandora. It’s got the complex level of detail you might expect from Star Wars or Star Trek, but not a one-off title that isn’t part of some larger, pre-established franchise title.
10. “My job is to keep you safe. I will not succeed.”
11. On one hand, we appreciate the environmental, we-are-one-with-the-planet message. On the other hand, it’s all perhaps a bit too sticky sentimental and self-important.
12. No, we didn’t see it in 3D. Or in Imax. We must be old-school traditionalists that way.
13. For the record, the best James Cameron films remains Aliens.
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